As you might have seen throughout this guide by now, there are many, many content and effect possibilities in HeavyM. You can combine group effects in faces with multimedia content, etc.
On top of that, you can add effects that are like "filters" and affect the rendering: post-processing shaders. The two types that affect the whole rendering are sequence shaders and, our focus here, the top of the tops, master shaders.
Using Master Shaders
What are those?
Master Shaders are effects that apply to the whole rendering. Unlike sequence shaders, they are not linked to any sequence so they apply to whatever's playing in the output at any time.
The effects that can be added as Master Shaders are ISF post-processing shaders. HeavyM contains a built-in library of these.
Adding Master Shaders
To add a Master Shader:
- Open the Master Shaders panel from the toolbar on the right
.
- Click on the + icon in the header.
- Select an effect in the shaders library and double-click on it or use the "Open" button.
Note: you can add as many shaders as you want and even add the same effect multiple times.
Arranging Master Shaders
The order of shaders in the list has an importance: transformations are applied shader by shader, in order, from the bottom of the list to the top. That means that the one at the top of the list is applied last, after all others and this can have a great impact.
By default, each new shader added is put on top, but you can edit the order afterwards by simply drag & dropping an item in the list to change its position.
Some shader combinations have a really different output depending on the order they're in. Try messing it up!
Managing individual shader settings
A shader can be disabled without deleting it from the list with the switch next to the effect name. It can be useful to toggle them momentarily when you want to try different combinations.
In addition, shaders can have parameters, so you can customize their effect! Most of the shaders included in HeavyM have at least one.
You can see and customize them by clicking on the cog icon next to the effect name. Most of the parameters can even be animated with variators, as you would do for group effect parameters.
Note: use the lightning icon at the top right of the parameters panel to quickly load a Preset of values for this shader or save a new one with a combination of parameters you like. Learn more about Presets here.
Managing global shader settings
Above the list of shaders, you'll find buttons associated with bulk actions (global settings, toggle all and delete all). In the settings, there's one option: "Clip master shaders overflow".
When checked, this option ensure that the rendering stays confined to the limit of the shapes you've drawn, even if the transformations applied by master shaders create an overflow.
Note: by default this option is unchecked and the choice is saved in the project file.
Adding effects to the library
In addition to the built-in effects, you can add your own shaders. To do so, simply open the library again and head over to the tab called "My Shaders".
There, you can browse your files and import .fs shaders. On players, shaders added to the library can only be Post-Processing ISF shaders with a maximum of 1 input image.
To find these, you can look on websites like this one, by the creators of the ISF standard: editor.isf.video... Or learn how to code them yourself!
Note: when searching for shaders online, don't forget to check out which license the creator has chosen for his or her work, even if a lot of them are free to use.